05 April 2011 06:32

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Everton have opened contract talks with Marouane Fellaini in a bid to stave off interest in the Belgian international.

Fellaini, who is recovering from ankle surgery and will not play again this season, only has two years left on the deal he signed when he joined Everton in August 2008. Manager David Moyes is determined to keep hold of his best players amid growing interest and has made convincing Fellaini his future is on Merseyside a priority.

Stick to the Toffees: Everton want Marouane Fellaini to remain at the club

Moyes, who smashed Everton's transfer record to sign Fellaini from Standard Liege, said: 'We want to keep building and Marouane comes into that category.

'When teams wanted Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta we made sure we kept them. That's what happens when you have good players - teams will come looking for them. There's no doubt Marouane is a good player. The chairman has done a really good job keeping hold of players, so we'll see how we go with Marouane.'

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